Georgia’s Salt Marshes

Georgia's coast is booming. By 2020, populations are expected to double, and development pressure is threatening one of the South's iconic landscapes. Georgia's salt marshes encompass a nearly 400,000-acre area where land and ocean mingle, a breathtaking expanse of biologically rich islands and tidal waters. One of the most productive natural resources on the planet, Georgia's marshland also protects the mainland during storms, naturally slowing flooding and erosion.

How much of it will remain in 2020? That depends on choices made today. Large-scale development threatens to bring thousands of houses, giant marinas, and miles of dock space that will attract hundreds of new boats to the area. The additional boats will increase the risk of collisions with manatees, sea turtles, and the North Atlantic right whale—the most endangered large whale species in the world. Worse, new construction and roads would dump thousands of gallons of polluted stormwater directly into the marsh.

Unless laws are strengthened to protect this area from unchecked development, there is concern that Georgia's world-class coastline could turn into a sea of mega-developments, ruining the very reason so many people want to live in the region.

Learn more about SELC’s efforts to protect Georgia’s salt marshes. This work is part of our regional Coast and Wetlands Program, which seeks to protect the South’s unique wetland resources and diverse coastal regions.

Photo: ©Craig Tanner